Xdmx is (rather) broken.

Xdmx

Xdmx is an X11 tool that lets you treat two or more* X11 servers as two or more monitors. I tried to use it to make an old laptop be an external monitor (connecting over Ethernet). The old laptop would run an X server, and Xdmx would connect to that X server and to the one on my regular laptop. Then X11 applications would connect to Xdmx (which itself provides an X-server API), and I could move them between screens at will. Theoretically.
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More X11 discoveries

I'm still trying to treat my old laptop as a secondary display, for more screen real-estate.

Main laptop: Linux
Old laptop: OS X, currently

Miscellaneous discoveries:

• There are a few proxy X server implementations that allow switching a X client program between actual X servers! (Albeit by command line not click-and-drag.) Xmove is still being shipped in distros, though the code is old enough that it allegedly doesn't support 24-bit color.
  
  Xpra seems to be a modern variant with efficient network protocols and binaries for all major platforms. Unfortunately, (A) xpra has to run on both sides of a remote xpra connection; (B) my secondary display is running OS X; and (C) the Xpra OS X binary only supports[1] client mode in xpra–xpra connections (we need server mode there). Almost useful!



• There is at least one program that can deal with multiple X displays: Emacs. I think it might be helpful to put my org-mode notes on my secondary screen, so that's cool.

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